Recipes

Just like I promised here it is, some details on what I made for Juno’s birthday party.

We were lucky enough to spend her birthday in the company of loved friends and family. About 40 people total (kids and adults) joined us.

We had offered lunch and were trying to come up with something that could be suitable for all ages, but also for all diet preferences.

We thought a nice salad (fruit and mostly veggie bar) could be a good idea since people could pick and choose what to put on their plates. Of course there had to be protein, a little grain and dressing to make it all tasty.

It was nothing fancy, but sure made with love. Everything was homemade and at least 90% of our ingredients were organic. I didn’t have to spend long hours in the kitchen, and I think people were pleased.

Little by little we will be sharing each of the recipes for the salad bar. Today we are listing everything served, and we are sharing with you the recipe for one of the dressings.

For vegetables we had:

A mix of baby lettuces

Cucumbers

Cherry tomatoes

Celery

Carrots

For proteins:

Roasted turkey breast tenders

Canned tuna salad

Hard boiled eggs

Cooked garbanzo beans

For grains:

Cooked brown rice medley

For nuts:

Sliced almonds

For seeds:

Roasted sunflower seeds

For fruit:

Apples

Nectarines

Grapes

We also had some green and black pitted olives, and some cheese, dairy in moderation is fine, plus the kids would have not forgiven us If we would have skipped it.

For dressing:

Peanut sauce

Parsley kefir dressing

Arugula pesto dressing.

Today I'm sharing with you the arugula pesto dressing. Like I’ve mentioned before, a good dressing is what makes the difference with a salad. Yes, eating vegetables is good for your health no matter what, but making it tastier and fun with a good dressing makes it all more enjoyable. Pleasure is a fundamental factor in taking care of our health and wellness. Plus, healthy food should be delicious, period.

So, guess what I'm going to say.......That's, right! This is very simple! Check out my arugula pesto recipe, make that exact same pesto and Just add orange juice.

I told you I love having enough pesto in my fridge, it is a meal life saver. I use it for many different recipes and meals. One is making this dressing. Sometimes people prefer getting their dressing at the store because they feel its a lot easier, or they don't have ideas of what type of dressing to make. Trust me I understand the convenience factor, but there is nothing like the flavor of a homemade dressing. In addition, most of the dressings that you can get at the store are unfortunately filled with crap. Vegetable oils, sugars, gums, preservatives, etc. Also by making a homemade dressing you are not only avoiding the bad ingredients, but are adding nutrient dense herbs to your diet. For some hints on nutrition information, check out the arugula pesto video, also the orange parsley dressing.